Looking back on the Torino Games...
Yeah, I know, it's premature. But the Games will soon be over, and the last big event that I'm really interested in is over tonight (I already know who won, too, even though I'm still watching the skating...stumbled across a headline on Yahoo that ruined the suspense for me). There are a few things about the Olympics this year that will stick with me, I'm sure. Some favorites--
Emily Hughes--The epitome of the underdog coming through in a clinch. Utterly lacking in experience at this level, with minimal preparation...and she came in and got the job done. No, she didn't win gold...but I'm willing to bet she's a big threat for it in four years. (Maybe Sarah will come back for the next Games, and we'll have the Hughes Sisters Skateoff...)
The Italian Gold Medal in the 4x10k cross country relay--for the past several Games, there's been a very intense rivalry between Norway and Italy for this victory. The last three times, they have been first and second, and there has been a margin of only hundredths of a second between them. This year, in front of a home crowd, Italy blew the lid off the race. If you're going to make a big show out of winning, doing it at home is the best.
Mens' Snowboard Cross--I really didn't care who won. It was fast, it was intense, it was exciting, and pretty much everybody that competed seemed to be having a good time, no matter who won. At the bottom of the hill, after each heat, the racers were congratulating each other. Hope that kind of spirit stays with the sport--too many times, it becomes all about who wins, and not about enjoying the competition for what it can be...a chance to showcase to the world what the best can be.
Chad Hedrick winning the first Gold for the US--cynics will (and did) say it was a contrived story to make him more appealing in the heartland...but the fact that he won the day on the anniversary of his grandmother's death was pretty awesome, I thought (besides, he IS from the heartland...)
Belbin and Agosto taking the bronze--I would have been happier if it had been another metal, but the fact that they finally broke through a barrier that US skaters have been bucking for 30 years...I'm just happy for them.
Ted Ligety saves the day--I wish he could have carried that kind of performance through to all the other events--but I'm just thrilled for the guy.
And some less-than-favorites--
Shani Davis' whinefest at the press conference--It was an appalling lack of class, putting Chad Hedrick on the spot in front of the world's press...and then walking out. If he was so damn worried about being treated like a member of the team, why didn't he act like one? He's been practicing on his own the entire time they were over there...you want camaraderie, you build it... in advance.
The absolutely dismal showing by the US Mens Hockey team--a columnist wrote a scathing editorial about this, and the fact that the US team failed, utterly, to play AS A TEAM. I've got nothing against NHL players taking spots on the Olympic Squad...but if you're going to represent your country on a team, then you should take the time to MAKE IT A TEAM. Don't just show up the day the group is flying over to the Games. If the NHL can't get by without these guys for a few weeks, every four years, then either the players need to decide what's going to take priority, or else we need to start recruiting younger/older players that have time to practice and develop a sense of being a team.
Michelle Kwan's departure--Nothing against Michelle. I can appreciate the intense desire to make a last shot at the Gold. It is, as the press repeatedly pointed out, the one milestone of her career that was notable in its absence. But given the nature of the injury, combined with the intense level of competition at the Olympic level, she really should have had the good sense (and sportsmanship) to bow out when she couldn't skate at the Olympic Trials.
Being inundated with Bode Miller commercials--what happened to the days where you got your promotional deal AFTER you proved yourself to be an Olympic champion?
The Austrian Cross-Country Team doping scandal--AGAIN. (That's all I've got to say...)
And a few other miscellaneous disappointments--Lindsay Kildow's crash...I would have liked to have seen how she would have done at full strength, given what she managed skiing with a big bruise on her hip--The notorious wipeout in the gold-medal race of the womens snowboard cross...I just hate seeing people lose their medal because of a silly mistake--Sasha Cohen's long program...I knew about the results before I saw it, but I still winced when I saw her fall.
All things considered, though, it's an Olympics I'll recall fondly. Of course, there are things about each of the Olympics that I recall fondly, so that isn't saying much. But there was a lot of young talent hitting the field this year, and a lot of older talent stepping down...and I'll be looking forward to the Vancouver Games in four years. (I just hope that the skaters have moved beyond that ridiculous grab-the-skate move that everyone is doing! C'mon people, have some originality!)
Yeah, I know, it's premature. But the Games will soon be over, and the last big event that I'm really interested in is over tonight (I already know who won, too, even though I'm still watching the skating...stumbled across a headline on Yahoo that ruined the suspense for me). There are a few things about the Olympics this year that will stick with me, I'm sure. Some favorites--
Emily Hughes--The epitome of the underdog coming through in a clinch. Utterly lacking in experience at this level, with minimal preparation...and she came in and got the job done. No, she didn't win gold...but I'm willing to bet she's a big threat for it in four years. (Maybe Sarah will come back for the next Games, and we'll have the Hughes Sisters Skateoff...)
The Italian Gold Medal in the 4x10k cross country relay--for the past several Games, there's been a very intense rivalry between Norway and Italy for this victory. The last three times, they have been first and second, and there has been a margin of only hundredths of a second between them. This year, in front of a home crowd, Italy blew the lid off the race. If you're going to make a big show out of winning, doing it at home is the best.
Mens' Snowboard Cross--I really didn't care who won. It was fast, it was intense, it was exciting, and pretty much everybody that competed seemed to be having a good time, no matter who won. At the bottom of the hill, after each heat, the racers were congratulating each other. Hope that kind of spirit stays with the sport--too many times, it becomes all about who wins, and not about enjoying the competition for what it can be...a chance to showcase to the world what the best can be.
Chad Hedrick winning the first Gold for the US--cynics will (and did) say it was a contrived story to make him more appealing in the heartland...but the fact that he won the day on the anniversary of his grandmother's death was pretty awesome, I thought (besides, he IS from the heartland...)
Belbin and Agosto taking the bronze--I would have been happier if it had been another metal, but the fact that they finally broke through a barrier that US skaters have been bucking for 30 years...I'm just happy for them.
Ted Ligety saves the day--I wish he could have carried that kind of performance through to all the other events--but I'm just thrilled for the guy.
And some less-than-favorites--
Shani Davis' whinefest at the press conference--It was an appalling lack of class, putting Chad Hedrick on the spot in front of the world's press...and then walking out. If he was so damn worried about being treated like a member of the team, why didn't he act like one? He's been practicing on his own the entire time they were over there...you want camaraderie, you build it... in advance.
The absolutely dismal showing by the US Mens Hockey team--a columnist wrote a scathing editorial about this, and the fact that the US team failed, utterly, to play AS A TEAM. I've got nothing against NHL players taking spots on the Olympic Squad...but if you're going to represent your country on a team, then you should take the time to MAKE IT A TEAM. Don't just show up the day the group is flying over to the Games. If the NHL can't get by without these guys for a few weeks, every four years, then either the players need to decide what's going to take priority, or else we need to start recruiting younger/older players that have time to practice and develop a sense of being a team.
Michelle Kwan's departure--Nothing against Michelle. I can appreciate the intense desire to make a last shot at the Gold. It is, as the press repeatedly pointed out, the one milestone of her career that was notable in its absence. But given the nature of the injury, combined with the intense level of competition at the Olympic level, she really should have had the good sense (and sportsmanship) to bow out when she couldn't skate at the Olympic Trials.
Being inundated with Bode Miller commercials--what happened to the days where you got your promotional deal AFTER you proved yourself to be an Olympic champion?
The Austrian Cross-Country Team doping scandal--AGAIN. (That's all I've got to say...)
And a few other miscellaneous disappointments--Lindsay Kildow's crash...I would have liked to have seen how she would have done at full strength, given what she managed skiing with a big bruise on her hip--The notorious wipeout in the gold-medal race of the womens snowboard cross...I just hate seeing people lose their medal because of a silly mistake--Sasha Cohen's long program...I knew about the results before I saw it, but I still winced when I saw her fall.
All things considered, though, it's an Olympics I'll recall fondly. Of course, there are things about each of the Olympics that I recall fondly, so that isn't saying much. But there was a lot of young talent hitting the field this year, and a lot of older talent stepping down...and I'll be looking forward to the Vancouver Games in four years. (I just hope that the skaters have moved beyond that ridiculous grab-the-skate move that everyone is doing! C'mon people, have some originality!)
posted by Curtis at 8:23 PM
1 Comments:
Man, you really HAVE been watching the Olympics.
My wife Carolyn and I have noticed a distinct lack of interest in the Olympics with the under-20 crowd. I remember being a kid and a teenager and the Olympics were THE thing to watch. We talked about that change and this is what we figured is to blame...
1 - clearly, the number of choices on television now. Back when we were young we had 3 or 4 channels, tops. That was it. If you watched tv at all you usually could bet a lot of other people were watching the same thing. When the Olympics came on everything else stepped aside. Some channels would put up major movies or something but mostly viewership was awarded to the channel with the Olympics.
2 - related to the last one, there's a lot more sports on tv when there never used to be. Again, more channels.
3 - I think it was a mistake to alternate the summer and winter olympics so that one of them is coming up every 2 years. It was a bit more special in the days when they did them both in the same year not only because of the breadth of the sports offered for the year but also for the 4-year break. People were really excited that it was an Olympic year. Now they seem to come around so often you're almost surprised.
So, while we're still big fans, I have a feeling it may dwindle as the generations move forward.
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